Knitting machine



June 3, 1924.,

W. B. KCCHENDERFER KNITTING MACHINE Filed 'July 3, 1922 fcerrierfef,

Patented .lune 3, 1924.

WILLIAM B. xocnENDEaFna, or cAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

KNITLDING MACHINE.

Application led July 3,

To all whom t may concern.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. KOCHEN- DERFER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Camden, Camden County, New Jersey, have invented certain 'new and t useful Improvements in Knitting Machines,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in those types ofknitting machinesv wherein the knitting needles, as well as the thread-guides, arecast in leads and such leads are secured to bars; in the one instance to the needle bar and in the other instance to the thread-guide bar. Since my invention relates to the manner of supporting the needles or thread-guides in the respective bars, it seems unnecessary vto make any reference to the relation of these parts, or to the manner in which the same operate.

In practice, should any one of any group of needles or guides supported by the respective leads become damaged, it is necessary to remove the lead with the entire group of needles (or thread-guides carried thereby), melt -the lead, and then reassemble a perfect set of needles (or threadguides) in a fresh lead. This requires casting off of the stitches of such group of needles (or removal of the threads in the case of thread-guides), and then relooping such stitches (or threading the guides). It will be understood, of course, that such removed lead\ containing a damaged needle (or thread-guide) is immediately replaced by a new lead carrying a group of needles (or thread-guides); fully equipped replace parts' being kept for the purpose.

One object of my invention is to provide means whereby the needles (or threadguides) may be individually mounted in and securely held to the respective bars, so that in case of accidental breakage, .distortion, or other damage to a needle (or threadguide) requiring replacement, the individual needle (or thread-guide) can be removed, and a perfect one replaced in an easy needle.

1922. Serial No. 572,474.

provide spacing members capable of tightly .gripping the needles (or thread-guides) and securely holding them in proper position with respect to the bar supporting the same. 4A further object of my invention is to provide spacing members which, while serving to grip the needles (or thread-guides) and hold the same in the assembled position, may be separated therefrom to permit withdrawal of a needle (or thread-guide), without disturbing the position ofthe spacing member in the bar or support or affecting its function upon restoration of fresh needle (or thread-guide), and a still further object of my invention is to provide efcient means for clamping lthe needles (or threadguides) and the associated spacing members in ay supporting bar or other mount.

' These and other features of my invention are more fully described hereinafter; reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a front elevation of suiicient of a needle (or thread-guide) 'bar or support, to illustrate my invention.

Fig. 2, is an end view of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 4, is a perspective view of a knitting Fig. `5, is a perspective view of a thread` gulde.

Fig. 6, is a perspective view of a-spacing member, Within the scope of my invention, such as may be employed in assembling the knitting needles (or thread-guides) in the bar or support for thesame, and

Fig. 7, is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale showing the manner in which the butts of the knitting needles or thread- "guides) are disposed with respect to the spacing members or elements.

In the drawings, which are more or less diagrammatic, 1 represents a bar or support, E -shape in cross section in the present instance, which may serve as a support or mount for knitting needles (or threadguides) such change in shape or designas may be necessary in ractice to distingulsh between the two bars eing such as the particular knitting machine requires, and the bar shown is merely illustrative of a needle (or thread-guide) mount or support which may be employed in carrying out my invention.

This bar is provided :with the webs or flanges 1 and 1", substantially at right angles to each other, and the flange or web 1a is slotted at 2; such slot extending from end to end of the bar and being designed to receive the needles (or thread-guides) of the type similar to those heretofore cast in and supported by leads subsequently secured to a bar or other form of mount.

The slot 2, is enlarged at its inner end, as indicated at 2a; such enlargement providing shoulders 3, for a purpose hereinafter set forth. The type of knitting needle and thread-guide, clearly shown at 5 and 6, in Figs. 4. and 5, may have crimped or corrugated ends or butts 5a and 6a. In the former practice the crimped or corru ated portions were designed to be engaged gby the lead in which they were cast whereby they could be securely held in position.

In carrying out my invention I propose to place between the respective needles (or thread-guides), one or more spacing members; which may be equal to the thickness or WidthV of the needles, or greater or less as the case may be, but in all cases equal to the greatest dimension of the needle (or threadguide) body so as to closely it the slot 2 in which they are disposed; such spacing members'being composed of a suitable compressible metal so as to be capable of tightly gripping the needles (or thread-guides) and old them in proper position 1n the slot. While it is true that many metals may be employed Within the scope of my invention for performing` the desired function, I have found that I can employ an ordinary printing slug, of suitable gage, depending upon the gage or position of the need'I-es (or thread-guides); such printing slug, clearly illustrated at 10, Figs. 6 and 7, being modified to the extent of providing a head 10 of a size and shape to fit the enlarged portion 2a of the slot 2, formed in the flange 1a of the bar or support 1. .In addition, in order that the pressure applied to grip the needles (or thread-guides) and spacing members to the bar 1 will not tend to revent removal of a needle (or thread-guide), as the case may be, the heads 10a are reduced on opposite sides as indicated at 10b, so that lsaid heads are thinner than the body of the spacing member and can accommodate the crimped or corrugated portions of the needle (or thread-guide) butts, withoutbeing so compressed with respect to the same as to make it diilicult or impossible to remove a needle (or thread-guide) after backing 0E the clamping means em lo ed to hold the needles (or thread-gui esl and spacing members in the slot of the bar, as clearly shown in Fig. 7.

As may be readily understood, the needles (or thread-guides) and the spacing members may be alternately assembled, or placed in any desired relation in the slot 2 of the bar Maasai 1; extendin therein from end to end of the sameand su stantiall filling such slot. As may be further un erstood, the spacing members may occupy the place of needles (or thread-guides) Where it is not necessary or desirable to fill the bar or support with the full complement of needles (or threadguides) that it may carry.

In order to secure the needles (or threadguides) with the spacing members, in place, each end of the bar (one end only being shown) is provided With an abutment 11, which may have a reduced and threaded portion 12, passing through the flange 1b of the bar 1, and secured thereto by a nut 13. In addition, the abutment may be secured to the flange 1a by a screw 14; the head of which may be disposed in a recess 15, in the abutment. A pressure-applying member 16, may be arranged at each end of the bar 1;

such pressure-applying member lying in close contact with the flange 1a of the bar 1 and having a tongue 17, adapted to enter the slot 2. of the flange 1, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and to contact with a needle (or thread-guide), or spacing member, against which it may be forcibly pressed.

For this purpose, a threaded bolt 18, which may pass freely through an aperture in the'- abutment 11, engages a threaded opening 16a in the pressure-applying member 16. By turning this bolt in the abutment, by the application of a suitable tool to its head 18, the pressure-applying member will be drawn along the flange l, and its tongue will engage the. end of the group of needles (or thread-guides) and spacing members and, in combination with similar means at' the opposite end of the bar, clamp the same in the slot.

The metal of the spacing members is of such a character as to tightly grip the needles (or thread-guides) and hold them against removal. At the same time, by loosenin the clamping means any damaged need e (or thread-guide) can be removed, Without displacing the spacing members which will be retained in lace by their heads 10 engaging the shouldldrs formed by the enlarged portion 2 of the slot 2.

While I have shown spacing membersprovided with rectangular heads {ittin the enlarged portion 2 of the slot, also il ustrated as rectangular, it 'will be understood that such heads may be differently shaped, and that the groove may be correspondingly shaped to receive the same; the essential object being to provide a construction that will properly s ace and confine the needles (or thread-gui es and at the same time be held in the slot w en it is desired to remove one or more needles (or thread-guides).

I claim:

'1. The combination of a slotted bar, a group of thread-engaging membersdisposed ist in said slot, independent spacin members disposedv between said threa -engaging members, `and clamping means carried by said bar.

2. The combination of a slotted bar, a group of thread-engaging members disposed in said slot, compressible metal spacing members disposed between said thread engaging members, and clamping means for said several members carried by the ends of said bar.

3. The combination of a carrier bar having a slot, a group of thread-engaging members disposed in said slot, independent spacing members disposed between said threadengaging members, clamping members between which the spacing members and thread-engaging members are held, and means for conning said clamping members to the 'carrier bar to hold the thread-engaging and sparing members to said bar.

4. The combination of a carrier bar having a s'lot, a group o'f thread-engaging members disposed in said slot, compressible metalspacing members disposed between said thread-engaging members, clamping members between which the spacing members and thread-engaging members are held and means for confining said clamping members to the ends of the carrier bar to hold the thread-engaging and spacing members to said bar.

5. The combination of a slotted bar, a group of thread-engagi-n members mounted in said slot, indepen ent spacing members disposed between said thread-engaging members, and means for holding said threadengaging and spacing members in close relationship to prevent dislodgment, of said thread-engaging members.

6. The combination of a slotted bar, a group of thread-engaging members, a group of metal spacing members disposed between said thread-engaging members, and means for holding said thread-engaging and spacing members in close relationship to prevent l[glislodgment of said thread-engaging memers.

7. r1`he combination of a slotted bar; said slot having an enlarged bottom portion, a plurality of thread-engaging members mounted in said slot, spacing members disposed between said thread-engaging members, and means for clamping said threadengaging and spacing members together; the latter having enlarged ends confined by the enlarged portion of the slot.

8. The combination of a slotted bar; said slotl having an enlarged bottom portion, a. plurality of thread-engaging members mounted in said slot, compressible metal spacing members disposed between said thread-engaging members, and means for clamping` said thread-engaging and spacing members together; the latter having enlarged ends confined by the enlarged portion of the slot and the engaging portions of the clamping members being similarl shaped.

In witness 'whereof I have slgned this specification.

vW. B. KOCHENDERFER. 

